The people of Yorkshire

The people of People of Yorkshire are known as “Yorkshiremen”, and over the years a stereotypical picture of a “Yorkshiremen” has been painted of them by many different people emanating from outside of the county. It is wrong to “tar people with the same brush” yet there are certain similarities in the population that do ring true.

They are seen by some as a determined people, that can be seen by others as stubborn. They refer to Yorkshire as “Gods own County” and many believe that they are “Yorkshiremen” first and English second. This stubborn loyalty to the county certainly has come from the battles that the county has experienced over the past centuries.

Television’s idea of typical “Yorkshiremen”

Television’s idea of typical “Yorkshiremen”

There is often a picture of Yorkshire folk as wearing flat caps and being careful with their money. This is as a result of the strong agricultural history of the county. In reality the industrialization of much of the region has replaced this image but the reputation remains and the people have always had to work hard for their money so they like to be wise with it.

The county has produced many people who are known throughout the world. This is hardly surprising as the people of the county are raised with strong expectations of them coming from both family, friends and other influential groups of people.

Herbert Asquith

Many of the country’s great politicians have come from Yorkshire and this includes two prime ministers Herbert Asquith and Harold Wilson. Asquith served as the Liberal prime minister of the country between 1908 and 1916.

Herbert Asquith

Born in Morley in 1852 his family came from the Wool business although Asquith pursued a career as a barrister and also as a part-time journalist. He was the man leader who took the country into the First World War but resigned in 1916. He is also remembered as the last Liberal Prime Minister who ruled the commons with a majority.

Harold Wilson was born in Huddersfield in 1916 and after finishing his education at Oxford he went into local politics representing the Labour Party. He was elected into the House of Commons at the age of 29 and in 1963 he became the leader of the party. He only had to wait until the following year to become the nation’s leader as the Conservative Party were defeated on the back of the Profumo Affair.

There have been many famous women who have come from Yorkshire. Amy Johnson was born in Hull in 1903 and spent much of her working career earning funds to finance her passion for flying. In 1930 she became the first woman to fly a plane solo from the United Kingdom to Australia, taking 19 days to complete the task.

The Mir Space Station

Johnson’s feats as a pilot can never be surpassed, and the same can be said of Helen Sherman’s achievements as an astronaut. In 1991 the chemist, who was born in Sheffield in 1963, became the first British Astronaut, when as part of project Juno she visited the Mir space station. She spent eight days in space having trained 18 months for the expedition.

The Mir Space Station

Yorkshire is also famous for the sportsman it has produced and particularly its cricketers. Len Hutton was born in Pudsey in 1916 and in his career between 1934 until 1955 he played for Yorkshire as well as representing England on 79 occasions, and his 364 against Australia in 1938 still stands as the highest individual test score from an English batsman.

Hutton captained England between 1952 and 1955 and this included an Ashes test series win over Australia. When he finished playing Test cricket he had an average of almost 57 for his 7000 runs, which few have bettered in world cricket. He was knighted in 1956.

Another “Yorkshiremen” to be knighted in the entertainment world is Ben Kingsley the actor who was born in Scarborough in 1945. In his career he has won many awards, and this came to a peak in 1982 when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in his portrayal of Mohandas Gandi in the film “Gandi”.

His other awards have included Grammy’s and Golden Globes, and he has appeared in many “Hollywood blockbusters”. He received his knighthood in 2002 and in 2010 he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

John Hesp during his 2 million pounds pay day

John Hesp during his 2 million pounds pay day

Another area of the entertainment industry where “Yorkshiremen” have risen to prominence is in the gambling industry. The county is well equipped to fuel their interest with numerous race meetings in the calendar for each year.

However racing is not the only avenue that gamblers can explore in today’s society. In July 2017 John Hesp from Bridlington, East Yorkshire won 2 million pounds at the World series of Poker in Las Vegas where he finished in fourth place.

The gambling world was amazed as the amateur playing grandfather made his way to the final table ahead of the world’s most infamous professional players. His preparation had included visiting his local casino in Hull and also playing some games on the internet.

There are numerous other “Yorkshiremen” that have become recognized around the world. The county has an uncanny habit of producing well known personalities.